Method and apparatus, with reduncancies, for trating substrate plastic parts to accept paint without using adhesion promters

ABSTRACT

A method and device of treating an irregularly shaped article to prepare the article for painting is provided. The device includes a burner which can produce an adjustable flame tongue which can fit into crevices, openings and other irregular topographical features of an item to be painted or otherwise coated. The burner device further provides means to apply a grafting chemical on a freshly oxidized surface. Further, the invention provides means to colorize treated objects so that they may be recognized as having been treated. In another embodiment, the grafting chemicals may be enhanced with electrolytic solutions such that electrostatic methods of painting may be subsequently employed on the item. In an alternate embodiment, the burner is adapted to spray a powder inside of a generally enclosed flame, and is used in conjunction with chop guns to manufacture glass or carbon fiber preforms. In a preferred embodiment all of the main systems of the present invention are provided with redundancies that allow the continuous operation of the device. Further, the device provides means to run and modify the process either locally or by remote communication means.

CROSS REFERENCED TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 10/107,849, filed on Mar. 27, 2002, and presentlypending, and which is a continuation in part of U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 09/836,659, filed on Apr. 17, 2001.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0002] The present invention generally relates to methods and apparatus'for treating plastic substrate parts to accept paint and, moreparticularly, to a method and apparatus for treating plastic substrateparts to accept paint without using adhesion promoters that allows, forexample, plastic substrate parts having flat regions, undulations, andrecesses to be properly treated.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0003] In the art and science of painting, it is a practice to prepare asurface that is to be painted to receive paint. A surface properlyprepared is more likely to produce a desirable result and remainproperly painted for a long term. Preparation techniques vary dependingon the material to be painted, the type of primer, stain and/or paintwhich will be used, the manner of application of the paint and theconditions to which the painted item will be subjected, among others.

[0004] In the past, with respect to automobiles and automobile parts,plastic played a minor role and typically could be prepared such thatthe plastic part was molded in the desired color. As plastic has becomea more important product in the automobile industry, such items asinterior and exterior doors, dashboards and other body panels andprotective equipment, the body of the automobile.

[0005] In order to speed production of parts, and reduce costs, plasticparts are now typically molded in one color (such that only a single runof molding is needed for all colors offered in a vehicle model) and thenpainted to match the desired vehicle color. This allows for lessplanning and more availability of parts for all colors of a vehiclemodel, and typically greater numbers of color combinations to appeal tothe tastes of purchasers. Further, this manner of producing parts allowsan adequate supply of replacement parts for subsequent body repair needson any color vehicle.

[0006] A problem arises, however, in producing painted parts, in thatthe plastic materials, used as body parts, typically must have a smoothsurface in order to be acceptable. Smooth surfaces are typically notamenable to painting. Paint sprayed, or otherwise placed, on smoothsurfaces, especially those with low surface energies, generally does notstick to the surface and may be peeled or chipped off, which is a highlycommercially undesirable result. While various means have been providedto stem this problem, such as abrading the surface prior to painting oradding adhesives, such as epoxy, to paint, in order to get the paint tostick to the item being painted, none of these has proved effective.

[0007] It has been found that the use of a grafting material, such asthose in a family of multifunctional amine-containing organic compounds,on plastic parts, which have been oxidized, allows paint to betteradhere to the plastic. See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,922,161 to Wuet al. (the “'161 patent”) that discloses a method of modifying ortailoring the surface of polymers and or polymer-based materials tocontrol surface and interface chemistry and molecular structure. The'161 patent discloses a method for oxidizing the surface of a polymerand treating the surface with a grafting chemical. The content of the'161 patent is incorporated by reference into this application as iffully set forth herein.

[0008] It has been found, however, procedures which employ the use ofgrafting chemicals added to plastic parts which have been oxidized aretypically only generally applicable to sheets of plastic. Further, thereis a potential for the devices and methods used to oxidize the plasticand apply the chemicals to sheets of plastic typically do so in suchmanner as to cause areas of the plastic sheet to be treated more thanonce, because of inadvertent overlapping, wasting chemicals, causing theloss of production time and potential cohesive weakening in the overtreated areas.

[0009] In one plastic sheet treating operation, a gas/air burner, havinga large area with many burner ports is used. The burner device is movedover the plastic sheet, overlapping some sections of the sheet inmovement. In the operation of such a system, the burner oxidizes theplastic sheet, and then a grafting chemical is sprayed onto the oxidizedplastic, to prepare the plastic for further processing, such as withpaint, adhesives or other coatings. The sheet is thereby made amenableto adhesion by other chemicals, including paint.

[0010] However, plastic parts typically are not made in the form ofplastic sheets, especially in automobile applications. Plastic parts aregenerally constructed in all shapes and with undulations, indentations,openings, crevices and other contours. The use of such treatment devicesand methods, as described above, are ineffective to treat the variationsin modern plastic parts. Further, treatments such as dipping or sprayinghave been found to be ineffective as the oxidation process cannotpre-treat the non-linear sections of the plastic part, causing thesprayed grafted material to be wasted.

[0011] Further, it has been found that the use of prior treatingapparatus often cause large number of toxic chemicals to be releasedinto the atmosphere as a result of the shotgun approach to the treatmentof plastics. This is especially the case when adhesion promoters areutilized to prepare a plastic substrate part to accept paint.

[0012] Another problem that exists in present plastic part treatmentmethods is that once the part is treated it is typically difficult,without sophisticated tests, to discern a difference between the treatedpart and an untreated part. In many instances, items that have beentreated have been confused with items which have not been treated,causing a waste of materials and time in retreating, and, generally, anover weakening of the surface of the part which is re-treated.

[0013] Another problem has occurred in that in a typical system used inany field where a supply of chemicals must be mixed and propelled, thereis a tendency for machinery to break down and/or need generalmaintenance, during a work cycle, so that it can work nominally andcontinuously. Typically, a chemical application system must be shut downfor repair or so that chemicals or other components can be replenishedor so that normal maintenance can be completed, stopping productionwhile the system is being replenished, repaired or maintained.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0014] I have discovered and invented a method and apparatus fortreating plastic substrate parts to accept paint without using adhesionpromoters that allows all undulations, indentations, openings, crevicesand other contours in the plastic substrate parts to be effectivelytreated. In accordance with one aspect of my invention, I have designeda unique burner device that allows a desired portion of a substrateplastic part to be flame treated and sprayed with a graft chemical atsubstantially the same time thereby allowing adhesion of paint, or othercoatings, to the part.

[0015] Such a method and apparatus has a number of distinct advantages.First, plastic substrate parts of all shapes and sizes can be preparedto accept paint. Second, the method disclosed herein is practiced in anenvironmentally friendly manner. For example, all of the environmentallydeleterious effects associated with utilizing adhesion promoters suchas, for example, the discharge of the active solvent utilized in typicalcompositions of adhesion promoters are completely eliminated. Thisallows, for example, the manufacturer's capital costs to be reducedbecause, for example, there is reduced need for abatement systems thatreduce the discharge of solvents to the atmosphere.

[0016] Third, this method and apparatus is suitable for use in large,commercial scale applications. For example, in accordance with oneembodiment of the present invention, a plastic bumper fascia can betreated to accept paint in approximately forty (40) seconds per part orless. Fourth, the use of this method and apparatus significantly reducesover-spray so that smaller amounts of graft chemicals can be utilized.

[0017] Further, the system, in one embodiment, is made such that everyimportant component has a redundancy that allows work to proceed whilerefilling of required chemical components is made or repairs ormaintenance is performed.

[0018] The system, further, in a preferred embodiment allows formonitoring of all system components on site and from remote locations sothat the system can be monitored, repaired and/or adjusted locally orremotely.

[0019] Other objects and advantages of the present invention will becomeapparent as the description proceeds.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0020]FIG. 1 is a schematic view of the method of the present invention;

[0021]FIG. 2 is a schematic view of the operation of one embodiment ofthe device of the present invention;

[0022]FIG. 3a is a perspective view of a burner of the prior art;

[0023]FIG. 3b is a perspective view of a burner in accordance with oneembodiment of the present invention;

[0024]FIG. 3c is a schematic view of a burner in accordance with oneembodiment of the present invention;

[0025]FIG. 3d is a perspective view of one preferred embodiment of theburner of the present invention;

[0026]FIG. 3e is an exploded perspective view of the burner of FIG. 3d;

[0027]FIG. 3f is an elevational view of the distal end of the burner ofFIG. 3d;

[0028]FIG. 3g is an elevational view of the distal end of the mixingchamber of the burner of FIG. 3d;

[0029]FIG. 3h is a perspective view of an alternative distal piece forthe burner of FIG. 3d;

[0030]FIG. 3i is a cross-sectional view of the distal piece of FIG. 3htaken along the plane of line i-i of FIG. 3h.

[0031]FIG. 4 is a perspective view of an item to be treated by a deviceof the present invention;

[0032]FIG. 5 is a series of diagrammatic views of the device of thepresent invention in use on an contoured item to be painted;

[0033]FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the arm of a robot treatment,equipped with the burner of FIG. 3c being used on an item to be treated;

[0034]FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the arm and burner of FIG. 6 showntreating the flat portion of an item to be treated;

[0035]FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the arm and burner of FIG. 6 shownbeing readied to treat an indentation in an item to be treated;

[0036]FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the arm and burner of FIG. 6 shownlowered into an indentation in a first pre-treatment inter-cavityposition;

[0037]FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the arm and burner of FIG. 6shown in treating the walls of the indentation of the item to betreated;

[0038]FIG. 11 is a schematic view of an apparatus that is used tomanufacture glass fiber preforms;

[0039]FIG. 12 is a schematic representation of the fluid preparation anddelivery system of a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

[0040]FIG. 13 is schematic representation of the control system of apreferred embodiment of a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

[0041]FIG. 13a is a more particular schematic representation of thecontrol system of FIG. 13;

[0042]FIG. 14 is a schematic representation of the nitrogen supplysystem of a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

[0043]FIG. 15 is a schematic representation of the clean water supplysystem of a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

[0044]FIG. 16 is a schematic representation of the fluid mixing tanks ofa preferred embodiment of the present invention;

[0045]FIG. 17 is a schematic representation of an additive dispenser ofa preferred embodiment of the present invention;

[0046]FIG. 18 is a schematic representation of an additive dispenser,for providing a desired chemical mix to the application element of thepresent invention;

[0047]FIG. 19 is a flow chart of a preferred process of fluid deliveryof the present invention;

[0048]FIG. 20 is a flow chart of a preferred process of making a graftsolution of the present invention;

[0049]FIG. 21 is a schematic representation of another preferredembodiment of the method of the present invention;

[0050]FIG. 22 is a chart showing test results of the use of the deviceand method of the present invention;

[0051]FIG. 23a is a graphic representation of information shown in thechart of FIG. 22; and,

[0052]FIG. 23b is a graphic representation of information shown in thechart of FIG. 22.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF AN ILLUSTRATIVE EMBODIMENT

[0053] While the present invention is susceptible of embodiment invarious forms, there is shown in the drawings a number of presentlypreferred embodiments that are discussed in greater detail hereafter. Itshould be understood that the present disclosure is to be considered asan exemplification of the present invention, and is not intended tolimit the invention to the specific embodiments illustrated. It shouldbe further understood that the title of this section of this application(“Detailed Description of an Illustrative Embodiment”) relates to arequirement of the United States Patent Office, and should not be foundto limit the subject matter disclosed herein.

[0054] Referring to the drawings, FIG. 1 shows a schematic view of oneembodiment of a factory 10 utilizing the method and device of thepresent invention. In such a factory 10, a mold 12 may be available toactually produce an item 14 or device that will be subsequently treatedand painted in factory 10. Factory 10 further comprises a loadingstation 16, deionized air points 19, a robotic flame treatment section18, a hold and index station 20, a primer application station 22, a basecoat station 24, a clear coat station 26, an oven 28 and an inspectionstation 30. Each of these station will be described, in relation to thefunction performed, in greater detail below.

[0055] Mold 12, in one example, comprises an injection molding apparatusthat is adapted to produce a variety of plastic substrate parts (item14) that are to be treated and then painted. In a motor vehicleapplication of the present invention, mold 12 is adapted to produce avariety of plastic motor vehicle components such as, for example, abumper fascia, a body side molding, or the like. It should be understoodby those skilled in the relevant art that mold 12 produces any plasticsubstrate part desired, irrespective of the application in which theplastic substrate part is to be utilized.

[0056] In a preferred embodiment of the factory of the presentinvention, a flash tunnel 32, which can utilize de-ionized air, isprovided for sending item 14, for drying, between stations which providecoatings, such as the primer application station 22 and the base coatstation 24. In this manner intermediate coatings are allowed to properlydry prior to the next step in the procedure. It is to be understood thatthe illustrated configuration of factory 10 is one of many possibleconfigurations, and is not intended as a limitation to the scope of thepresent invention. It will be understood, by those having skill in therelevant art, that such stations as clear coat station 26 and base coatstation 24 can be configured so that both steps can be performed,individually, at the same station in a factory.

[0057] It is to be further understood that an item 14 to be treated infactory 10 may be constructed outside of the factory, at any location oranywhere, without departing from the novel scope of the presentinvention. In the use of the factory, item 14, which has been molded orotherwise produced, is placed onto a loading station 16, which, withoutdeparting from the novel scope of the present invention, may be aconveyor belt or system or may be a fixed device for holding item 14. Inone embodiment of the procedure, item 14 is treated with a cleansingchemical wipe and is passed through flash tunnel 32. It is to beunderstood that the item 14 may be treated without being chemicallywiped, or may be chemically wiped without passing through a flash tunnelor using drying deionized air, without departing from the novel scope ofthe present invention.

[0058] A robotic device 40, comprising a flame treatment burner 44, asschematically shown in FIG. 2 and illustrated in FIG. 3b and FIGS. 6through 10, traverses the length of item 14, in a manner which will bedescribed in detail below. The treated item 14 can then be indexed,coated with primer, passed through a flash tunnel 32, painted with abase coat of paint, returned to a flash tunnel 32, and then painted witha clear coat. Subsequently, the item can be dried in an oven, or kiln,and sent to an inspection station where the results of the procedure canbe inspected.

[0059] In a preferred embodiment, robotic device 40 generally comprisesa burner 44 having fluid storage or connection means 46, a fluidatomizer 48, a flame treating system 50 and electronic control means 52,such as a computer or other processing device capable of acceptingprogramming (shown schematically in FIGS. 13 and 13a). In the operationof the device of the present invention, a plastic item 14 is firstoxidized by a flame 62 and then treated with a grafting chemical 46, ina preferred embodiment, the grafting chemical 46 is placed almostimmediately onto the area that has been oxidized, as will be describedin detail below.

[0060] A preferred graft chemical that is suitable for use in connectionwith the present invention is a polyethylenimine that is commerciallyavailable from BASF, and that is sold under the brand name of Lupaslol®G35. In accordance with the preferred embodiment of the invention, aquantity of water is mixed with a quantity of Lupaslol® G35 in a ratioof 400:1. It should be understood, however, that other graft chemicalsor powders (and different ratios of the same) can be utilized inaccordance with the present invention without departing from the scopethereof.

[0061] Fluid storage or connection means 46 further comprise storageand/or inlets for such fluids as grafting chemicals, colorizingchemicals, electrolytic chemicals and other chemicals as needed, as willbe described in greater detail below. Referring to FIG. 3b, aperspective view of the burner 60 of the present invention is shown. Itwill be noticed that, in the illustrated embodiment, the flame area 62of burner 60 is formed in a cylindrical body 61 with flame capabilitythroughout the upper surface 64 of burner 60. It will be understood, bypersons having skill in the art that the upper surface 64 of burner 60can be constructed with a plurality of flame jets 66 (shownschematically) so as to produce and even flame about the entirety ofsurface 64. As illustrated in FIG. 3b, an atomized fluid ejector 68 isincluded generally in the center of cylindrical body 61.

[0062] It is to be understood that fluid ejector 68 may be placed in anyeffective and efficient area within body 61 without departing from thenovel scope of the present invention. Further, it is to be understoodthat while a single rod atomizer tube 68 is shown, any form of fluidpropulsion, including a system where pressurized gas is drawn across thetop of tube to draw fluid out of a container and propel the fluidtowards the item 14 to be treated, may be used without departing fromthe novel scope of the present invention. Such devices are utilized inoutside mix air brush devices and may easily be adapted to the burner 60of the present invention without departing from the novel scope of thepresent invention.

[0063] It will be seen that the burner 60 of the present invention,further comprises insertion means 54, to bring chemicals into roboticdevice 40. Insertion means 54 comprises means, such as valves or otherinput sources, for insertion of fluids 46, a valve through which apropellant 47 may be injected, and an air/gas intake inlet 49. In apreferred embodiment of the present invention the propellant 47 used ispressurized Nitrogen gas (N₂). It has been found that the use of thepreferred propellant 47 provides the force to propel chemicals in adesired fashion while not being flammable (in the presence of flametreatment system 50) and not effecting the oxygen content of the flamein flame treatment system 50. It is to be understood that any propellanthaving similar properties may be employed by persons having skill in theart without departing from the novel scope of the present invention.

[0064] Referring to FIG. 3a, one example of a burner system 80 of theprior art is illustrated to allow comparison with the exemplary deviceof the present invention that is illustrated and disclosed in thisapplication. It will be seen that burner system 80 includes an inlet 80Aand a plurality of flame outlets 80B, and is of a flat elongated type,useful in providing surface treatment to flat sheets of materials.

[0065] Referring now to FIGS. 3c, 3 d, 3 e, 3 f, 3 g, 3 h and 3 i, onepreferred embodiment of a burner is illustrated, along with a first andsecond flame jet-forming ring 66 a and 66 m. In the preferredembodiment, illustrated in FIGS. 3c through 3 i, like numbers as thoseused in FIGS. 3a and 3 b are used so as to relate like parts.

[0066] In the construction of burner 60, of FIG. 3d, a generallycylindrical body 61 is provided having the following components, agenerally circular bottom element 61 a, defining an opening (not shown)through which tubular member 39 may be inserted and attached by anydesired means, in a manner known by persons having skill in the art.Such connection means may include the inclusion of threads on bothtubular member 48 and defined in bottom element 61 a, without limitingthe scope of the present invention. It will be understood that theproximal end of tubular member 39 is adapted for connection to a supplyof grafting chemical and to a supply of propellant, in a mannerpreviously described. Within cylindrical body 61 air/gas intake inlet 49is defined. It will be understood that any manner of providing air tobody 61 may be substituted without departing from the novel scope of thepresent invention. As shown in FIG. 3d, air/gas intake 49 is formed inbody 61 in such a manner that air may be supplied through a hose andvalve arrangement in a manner well known in the art. To facilitate suchan arrangement, air intake 49 may be provided with any means to attachan air supply known in the art.

[0067] In the present embodiment body 61 is formed with a shoulder 61 bleading to a neck 61 c having threadings 61 d. A flame jet-forming ring66 a is provided, as shown in FIGS. 3e and 3 f, having jet formingopenings 66 and a holding collar 66 b. Collar 66 b of ring 66 a may beseated onto the rim 61 e of body 61 and retained by holding ring 67.Ring 67 comprises internal threadings which cooperate with threadings 61d of body 61 to hold ring 66 a onto body 61. Within body chamber 61, itwill be seen, emerges fluid atomizer tube 68, though opening 61 f inbottom element 61 a of body 61. A mesh screen roll 73, preferablyconstructed of a roll of tightly woven metal mesh, is provided at theperimeter of the interior wall of mixing chamber 71. A covering 75, alsocreated of tightly woven metal mesh in the preferred embodiment, isprovide, having an opening 75 a defined therein, through which atomizertube 68 may emerge. In a preferred embodiment, two layers of covering 75are provided.

[0068] Atomizer tube 68, as shown in FIG. 3e, is further provided withan atomizing head 65, which allows the atomized particulate to besprayed out of atomizer tube 68 in a desired manner, well known bypersons having skill in the art, and a holding collar 69 to hold head 65onto atomizer tube 68.

[0069] Referring now to FIGS. 3h and 3 i, an alternative jet-formingring 66 m is shown. As illustrated, the jet forming opening 66 n of ring66 m comprises a continuous opening, allowing a more potent flame toemerge. Ring 66 m includes an opening 66 o through which atomizer 48 canemerge.

[0070] Referring to FIG. 4, a burner 60, having a flame area 62, of thepresent invention may be seen in position on a robotic device 40. Item14, here illustrated as an automobile bumper 14, is shown in position tobe treated. As shown, bumper 14 comprises a plastic material havingindentations 90, undulations 92 and openings 94, among othertopographical features. In order to prepare such a bumper for painting,all of the irregular topographic features must be properly treated andprepared for paint. As illustrated in FIGS. 5-10, burner 60 of thepresent invention may be manipulated so that flame area 62 can cover anytopographic feature of bumper 14. FIG. 6 shows the shape of flame area62 in a first ignited position.

[0071] In the treatment of plastic parts, the burner is adjusted to fitthe size of the area to be treated. It is to be understood that flamearea 62 may be adjusted, using controls that specifically cause more orless propellant 47 at higher or lesser pressures, as is most widelyrecognized in the use of Bunsen burners in laboratories. Specifically,when covering flat areas (FIG. 5a and FIG. 7) flame area 62 may be madeto burn with a widened flame, by decreasing propellant 47 pressure, soas to cover large areas rapidly. In the treatment of openings 94, orcrevices or other topographic features of item 14, flame area 62 may beadjusted by increasing and then decreasing propellant 47 pressure. FIGS.5b and 5 c, illustrate the narrowing of flame area 62 to allow the flametongue 63 to enter a narrow crevice 94. Once flame tongue 63 reaches thebottom 94 a, of opening 94, propellant 47 pressure can be decreasedcausing tongue 63 to widen such that the inner surface 94 b of opening94 is touched by flame tongue 63. It is to be understood that control ofthe narrowing and widening of flame tongue 63 can be accomplished usingelectronic controller 52, such that a single accurate pass of allsurface area portions of item 14 are made.

[0072] As flame tongue 63 is drawn upwards out of opening 94, flametongue 63 licks the entire inner surface 94 b of opening 94. Graftingchemicals 46, or other fluids 46, are atomized and cover the freshlyoxidized surface as flame tongue 63 is withdrawn.

[0073] In accordance with a further exemplary aspect of the presentinvention, colored fluids 46 c are injected into burner 62 such that asgrafting chemicals are placed onto item 14, item 14 may be colorized sothat the operators and workers can easily recognize which items havebeen treated. In a preferred embodiment, of this aspect of the presentinvention, a quantity of propylene glycol and a quantity of a suitablecolorizing agent (such as red die no. 55) is mixed with a quantity of awater/graft chemical mixture in a ratio of 250 parts mixture to 1 partpropylene glycol and 1 part colorizing agent. It will be appreciated by,those having ordinary skill in the relevant art that chemicals otherthan those specifically identified above may be used in connection withthis aspect of the present invention disclosed herein.

[0074] In accordance with another further exemplary aspect of thepresent invention, electrolytic chemicals are injected into burner 62such that as grafting chemicals are placed onto item 14, item 14receives a small ionic charge, which will allow the subsequent paintingof item 14 by electrostatic means. In a preferred embodiment of thisaspect of the present invention, a quantity of a suitable electrolytesuch as potassium citrate, sodium chloride, or sodium citrate is mixedwith a quantity of a water/graft chemical mixture in a ratio of 10 ml(mili-liter) of electrolyte for each liter of mixture. It should beunderstood that other electrolytes can be utilized to allow the surfaceof the substrate plastic parts to be made at least partially conductive.

[0075] The present invention disclosed herein provides significantadvantages over conventional systems that utilize adhesion promoters totreat substrate plastic parts to accept paint. For example, one gallonof a typical adhesion promoter is capable of treating approximatelyforty (40) plastic bumper fascias, whereas one gallon of the graftconcentrated chemical when mixed as disclosed herein is capable oftreating approximately 12000 of such bumper fascias. Furthermore, thepresent invention allows the time associated for treating each substrateplastic part to be significantly reduced. For example, a plastic bumperfascia can be fully treated to accept paint in approximately forty (40)seconds in accordance with one embodiment of the present inventiondisclosed herein.

[0076] In accordance with a further development of the present inventiondisclosed herein, a robotic flame treatment apparatus may be used tospray materials other than graft chemicals such as, for example, apowder. One example of such a powder material is chopped fiberglassmixed with a low density powder. In this case, a burner is controlled tomove in a predetermined fashion over a mold so that so that the choppedfiberglass is sprayed through the flame and powder mix onto a mold andat least partially hardened by the flame provided by the burner asdiscussed in greater detail hereafter. This allows, for example, themanufacturing times for fiberglass articles such as, for example,rowboats and pleasure craft to be significantly reduced. In motorvehicle applications of this aspect of the present invention disclosedherein, a number of different motor vehicle components such as, forexample, high strength, low weight, thin gauge body panels to bemanufactured.

[0077] Referring to FIG. 11, a schematic diagram of method ofmanufacturing glass fiber preforms is illustrated. In particular, arobotic flame treatment apparatus 200 includes a robot 202, anelectronic controller 204, two chop guns 206 and 208, and a burner 210.The electronic controller 204 is programmed to cause the robot 202 tomove the burner 210 and the chop guns 206 and 208 in a predeterminedsequence relative to mold 212 to manufacture a glass preforms asdiscussed in greater detail hereafter.

[0078] The robotic flame treatment apparatus 200 generally includes thesame structure as the robotic flame treatment station 18 shown in FIG.1, except as discussed in greater detail hereafter. Instead of using acenter atomizing tube together with an atomizer, a ½″ tube through thehousing of burner 210 is used. The tube is secured with a lock nut atthe top of the burner 210 adjacent the face of burner 210. A nozzle isfit inside this tube that is compatible with spraying powder 211.

[0079] At the bottom of burner 210, a ⅜″ polyethylene tube is connected.This tube is configured as a powder/air delivery line. Furthermore, thenitrogen/fluid delivery system is removed and replaced with a typicalauger driven powder delivery pump. This unit requires compressed air tobe connected into a venturi which in turn is fed with a constant supplyof power through a frequency driven motor on the auger. The net resultof this structure is a constant ratio of powder in a given air stream.

[0080] With this process, it is important to control the flametemperature to prevent the powder that is sprayed from burner 210 fromburning up in the flame. For this purpose, a flame treatment system (notshown) that is similar to the flame treating system 50 (FIG. 2) isoperatively connected to the burner 210. The flame treating systemincludes a gas/air control system and an oxygen analyzer. The oxygenanalyzer allows an operator to monitor and maintain the accuracy of theflame so that the flame temperature remains constant.

[0081] For example, if it is desired to “chill” the flame, the amount ofcombustion air used in the primary gas/air mix is increased. This causesthe flame temperature to be decreased, but will be shown as an increasein oxygen content on the oxygen analyzer. Conversely, if it is desiredto increase the flame temperature, then the amount of combustion airused in the primary mix is decreased, which will be shown as a drop inoxygen content on the oxygen analyzer. Set points and control loops canbe set within the control panel to maintain optimum performance asreadily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the relevant art.

[0082] The burner system is designed to be automated in use and mountedto a robot arm for articulation. In particular, the burner 210 ismounted on an end effector plate of an arm of robot 202. The chop guns206 and 208 also are mounted on this end effectuator plate. Chop guns206 and 208 are designed to produce a predetermined amount of choppedglass fiber or carbon fiber strands per unit time. The chop guns arepowered by compressed air and function in a manner similar to an airdriven motor. A small amount of air is also used to provide “fan” air tothe outgoing chop, and thus give it shape in a manner similar to a spraypattern. Changing this small amount of air, either by pressure or volumewill change the shape of the fan pattern.

[0083] In the illustrated embodiment of the invention, chop guns 206 and208 are mounted on either side of the burner 210, 180° apart from theburner 210 and angled towards a center intersect point. The centerintersect point, which is the point in space relative to the burner atwhich the chop streams will merge together, is adjustable relative tothe required output measured in pounds of chop/minute.

[0084] The apparatus discussed above can be used to manufacture variousarticles as discussed in greater detail hereafter. In one exemplaryapplication of the present invention, the glass or carbon fiber ischopped at a given rate by chop guns 206 and 208, and merges together ata distance of approximately 6-12 inches from the face of burner 210. Theflame is ignited and adjusted in output relative to the required laydown rate of the chop. Through the center of burner 210, a powder is“sprayed” therefrom towards the center intersect point of the chop guns206 and 208. This powder can be, for example, a low molecular weightpolyester resin, a high molecular weight polyester resin, a lowmolecular weight epoxy resin, or a high molecular weight epoxy resin.The choice of resin used will depend on the complexity of the pre-formbeing laid up together with the strength requirements required withinthe component.

[0085] Spraying the powder through the flame created by the burner 210causes the powder to become “tacky” from the heat transfer with theflame. Once tacky and now inside the velocity stream of the flame, the“tacky” powder is carried to the intersect point with the glass chop andbecomes mixed with the chop. This effect covers the surface of the chopmaterial and allows the formation of a “mat” without fear of strands offiber chop either sagging or blowing off from the surface of thepre-form. The electronic controller 204 is programmed to providemultiple layers of this slurry to build the required pre-form thicknessand loft.

[0086] Referring now to FIG. 12, a preferred embodiment of a scheme 100for mixing, preparing and delivering fluid to the robotic flametreatment device 18 of the present invention is provided. In the scheme100, a valve 102 is provided to allow a clean water supply 104 to flowto the 170 system then into one of two mixing tanks 106 a and 106 b. Itwill be understood by persons having skill in the art, that the presentscheme 100 provides certain redundancies, as will be explained as thedescription continues, to permit the scheme 100 to proceed in spite ofthe failure of parts of the scheme 100. In a preferred embodiment, twomixing tanks 106 a and 106 b, of a type well known in the art, areprovided so that should the first mixing tank 106 a fail, or beundergoing general maintenance, the scheme 100 of the present inventioncan continue to be practiced. Mixing tank 106 a is connected to a colortank 108 a, to an electrolytes tank 110 a, and to a graft chemical tank109 a. Mixing tank 106 b is connected to a second color tank 108 b, to asecond electrolytes tank 110 b, and to a second graft chemical tank 109b.

[0087] In the operation of mixing tanks 106 a and 106 b, clean waterfrom supply 104, and graft chemical from supply 109 a or 109 b,respectively, (and, if desired, color from color supplies 108 a or 108b, as well as electrolytes from supply 110 a or 110 b, respectively) aredrawn or pumped into mixing tanks 106 a and 106 b, respectively, indesired quantities. Means to mix, of any type known to persons havingskill in the art, contained or made part of mixing tanks 106 a and 106b, cause the color, electrolytes and graft chemical water to be mixed toa desired mixture. The desired mixture is then moved from mixing tanks106 a and 106 b, respectively, to valve 112 to dispensing mechanism 116a and 116 b, through intermediate valves 114 a and 114 b respectively.It will be understood that while a 3-way solenoid and a 3-way valve areshown in the Figures, other types of valves and solenoids can be usedwithout departing from the novel scope of the present invention.

[0088] Concurrently, nitrogen supply tanks 120 a and 120 b are provided,filled with nitrogen gas 121. Pressurized nitrogen gas, as explainedabove, is a preferred propellant for use in the device of the presentinvention. As explained above, and in association with FIG. 3B,propellant 47 can be injected into the burner 60 to cause atomizing ofthe grafting chemicals and other fluids 46 to be propelled onto theplastic item 14 to be so treated. As shown in FIGS. 3B and 12, nitrogen121 and the desired mixture of color, electrolytes and graft chemical,are sent, independently, to supply valves 122 and 124 and are, in apredetermined manner, supplied to a spray burner 44, wherein the desiredmixture is propelled and atomized, by the nitrogen 121, onto the item 14selected to be treated.

[0089] It will be seen that the scheme 100 of the present invention canbe practiced in association with a control system 130, as shown in FIG.13. Control system 130 includes at least the following elements: a CPU115, which can take the form of a microprocessor (not shown) and memory133; a flame control unit 114; a robot controller 112, each of which canbe, for example, a variety of different microprocessors with memory andother electronic components which are well known in the art. Controlsystem 130, may further comprise a modem 138, a display unit 140 anddata input means 142 (including any one or more of a key board, cardreader, scanner, scanning device, UPC code scanner and/or mouse).Control system 130 further includes data communication means 144connecting control system 130 to each of the clean water supply 104,mixing tanks 106 a and 106 b, color supplies 108 a and 108 b, graftchemical supplies 109 a and 109 b, electrolytes supplies 110 a and 110b, dispensing mechanisms 116 a and 116 b and nitrogen supplies 120 a and120 b.

[0090] Persons having skill in the art will recognize that an industrialcomputer, such as an Allen Bradley industrial computer having a MicroView operator display on the front of the panel, or other similarcomputer device, can be used without departing from the novel scope ofthe present invention. Each element of control system 130 is connectedto communications means 144 in manners well known in the art, includingby various types of well known computer communications means includingUSB connections, SCSI connections, Infra Red connections, Blue Toothconnections, serial cable connections and parallel cable connections andother connections known in the art.

[0091] Referring to FIGS. 15, 16, 17 and 18, a number of systems areshown and will be described, hereinafter, and that a number of thesystems shown comprise redundancies. It will be understood by personshaving skill in the art that while typically, a redundancy comprisingone more unit is shown and described throughout this description, and inthe accompanying drawings, any number of redundant units may be used,and such units need not be equally redundant (for example there can be 3redundant propellant tanks and only one redundant water tank in asystem) for each element of the invention, without departing from thenovel scope of the present invention. Further, while the redundancieshave been shown to be of equal capacity in the figures, it will beunderstood that different sized (for example a 30 gallon water tank isto be considered a redundant tank for a 20 gallon tank and vice-a-versa)tanks, storage means, conduits, sensors, valves and other elements maybe used, and considered to be adequate and desirable redundancies,without departing from the novel scope of the present invention.

[0092] Referring now to FIG. 14, a representation of the nitrogen supply121 system, as used in FIG. 12, is shown. As was indicated in thediscussion of FIG. 12, a system having several redundancies is provided.It will be understood by persons having skill in the art that the numberof redundancies provided and explained in this description have beenmade in order to accomplish a number of goals. Primary among the goalsis the goal that a system made with such redundancies will not haveelongated periods of idleness as a result of breakdown, normalmaintenance or supply. With duplicate lines of supply breakdowns on oneset of lines can typically be repaired while work continues using thealternate line. Exhausted supplies can be replenished while theredundant supply is in use and maintenance on machinery, supply tubesand line and canisters or other volumetric holding systems can be madewithout interfering with the operation of the various devices. It willbe understood by persons having skill in the art that such a system ofredundancies can be made as shown or with a variety of modification andmanners without departing from the novel scope of the present invention.

[0093] Tanks 120 a and 120 b are attached in parallel to lines 132 a and132 b, which comprise means both to permit flow 133 a and 133 b ofpressurized nitrogen gas, or any other propellant used in the presentinvention, and means 134 a and 134 b to communicate the status of tanks120 a and 120 b and the means to permit flow 133 a and 133 b. It will beunderstood by persons having skill in the art that means to permit flow(133 a and 133 b) can be any type of conduit including PVC or coppertubing or tubing made of any material having similar desirableproperties, reinforced flexible tubing or any other type of conduithaving similar desirable properties know to persons having skill in theart. Further, it will be understood, by persons having skill in the art,that means 134 a and 134 b to communicate the status of both tanks 120 aand 120 b and the flow means 133 a and 133 b, can be of any type ofsensor and communicating means, including pressure, temperature, volumeand weight sensors and can be in the form of wire or wirelesscommunication devices.

[0094] Referring again to FIG. 14, it will be seen that tanks 120 a and120 b are, eventually, attached to the robotic sprayer 40 and burner 44.However, in order to insure a desirable flow of pressurized nitrogengas, or other propellant, to burner 44, lines 132 a and 132 b include anumber of sensor and pressure devices such as those shown in FIG. 14.These devices can include, a high pressure regulator 136 a and 136 b anda low pressure regulator 138 a and 138 b having pressure switches 140placed, respectively up and down stream of the high and low pressureregulators, at a number of locations along the path of the propellantgas. The pressure switches providing data concerning the volume andpressure of the propellant along lines 132 to a computer or othermonitoring device, which is described above, and shown in FIG. 13, andwill be described in greater detail below. Flow meters 139 can also beincluded along lines 132 so as to measure the flow of nitrogen gas 121(or any desirable propellant gas) through lines 132. Flow meters 139allow controller 112 to confirm the presence of gas within lines 132. Itis understood by persons having skill in the art that pressure may oftenbe present without flow, flow meters 139 will allow control system 130to verify the presence of desired gas, and upon the detection of no flowcan cause the redundant gas systems to be energized to provide thenecessary propellant.

[0095] It will be seen in FIG. 14, that redundant propellant gassupplies are joined together, by means of valves 133, of a type wellknown in the art connected to sensors 156 (of the type previouslydiscussed), to a single feed line 142. A pressure switch 140 is providedon feed line 142 to provide feed back to the monitoring system of thestatus of the propellant gas in feed line 142 as it approaches burner44.

[0096] Referring now to FIG. 15, a water supply purification and storagesystem 150, comprising equipment for production and storage of cleanwater, used in the preparation of the graft chemicals of the presentinvention, is shown. A valve 152 connecting a source of water supply,such as that provided from a municipality, to the water supplypurification and storage system 150 is shown attached to a conduit 154,of any type capable of carrying a water supply, and preferably of a typewhich provides a means to transport water without adding leachedelements or contaminants, such as pipes made of PVC or other plasticmaterials or copper piping. In a preferred embodiment of the presentinvention, conduit 154 is provided with sensor elements, such as thepressure sensors 156 shown in FIG. 15. It will be understood, by personshaving skill in the art that the addition of sensor elements is optionalin a water treatment facility and that such a facility can be made withno sensors, or more sensors than those shown in FIG. 15, withoutdeparting from the novel scope of the present invention.

[0097] Water passing through conduit 154 is passed through an initialfilter 158 of a type well known in the art, for removing suspendedparticles, colors, odors and other contaminants typically found inmunicipal and other water systems including potable water systems. Afterpassing through the initial filter 158, the pressure of the water ismeasured, by sensor 156 and the measurement is reported, through meanswell known in the art, to control system 130 (FIG. 13), as the watercontinues in conduit 154 to a valve, preferably a “T” type valve, 160.Valve 160 is provided to again present a redundant system for waterpurification. Valve 160 allows the filtered water to proceed, throughconduits 155, to two separate reverse osmosis treatment stations; ROstations 162 a and 162 b. It will be understood by persons having skillin the art that RO stations 162 a and 162 b, each having a circuitbreaker 163, tying the station to electricity, are used to remove metalsand other poisons and contaminants from the water supply, in a mannerwell known in the art.

[0098] Water emerging from RO stations 162 a and 162 b travel throughconduits 155, past sensors 156, which report pressure in conduits 155 tocontrol system 130, and into a storage tank 164. In a preferredembodiment, valves 166, capable of closing off flow from conduits 155 totank 164, is provided on conduits 155 near storage tank 164. In apreferred embodiment, each valve 166 is provided with means 168 allowingcommunication between control system 130 and valves 166, such that acontroller, at system 130, can open or close one or more conduits 155 asdesired.

[0099] As can be seen in FIG. 15, a tank for storage of purified water170 is provided. In one preferred embodiment, tank 170 is a 30 gallonplastic water-tight storage tank, it will be understood that any tank,of any size and material, capable of holding a desired amount ofpurified water, without effecting the purity of the water, can besubstituted without departing from the novel scope of the presentinvention. It will also be understood that, with a system having asufficient size and capacity, purified water can be created and used asneeded, without the requirement of storage, without departing from thenovel scope of the present invention. It will also be understood, bypersons having skill in the art, that, while it is desirable to make asupply of purified water, purified water, having desirable qualities,can be purchased and used in the system of the present invention,without departing from the novel scope of the present invention.Typically, a redundant water tank will be found unnecessary, however, itwill be understood that providing a redundant water tank for the presentapplication will not be understood to be a departure from the novelscope of the present invention. In a system in which purified water iseither produced as needed or purchased, a redundant water tank can beutilized to afford the protection of an emergency supply of water.

[0100] In order to monitor the supply of purified water a float switch172, attached to a sensor 156 is provided within tank 170. In theoperation of float switch 172, should the level of water in tank 170fall below a desirable level, ball 172 a will sink and cause switchelement 170 b to send a signal, through sensor 156, to the controlsystem 130, on display unit 140, to indicate a low fluid level. A pickuptube 174 is provided in tank 170 to allow purified water to be removedfrom tank 170 and utilized to create the desired graft chemical, as willbe explained in detail below. Pickup tube 174 can be made in any usefulmanner, however, in a preferred embodiment, pickup tube 174 is anelongated tube, made preferably of PVC plastic or copper, or otherstable material, and having its lower end 174 a cut at a diagonal to thepipe's diameter, so as to provide an oval shaped inlet area.

[0101] In a preferred embodiment, the lower end 174 a of pickup tube 174is placed into tank 170, and is secured to tank 170, by means well knownin the art, so that the lower end 174 a of pickup tube 174 does nottouch the bottom of tank 170. In this manner residue which may exist atthe bottom of tank 170 is not taken into pickup tube 174 during theoperation of the device of the present invention, as will be describedbelow. Pickup tube 174 is attached, at its upper end 174 b to a conduit155, which is attached to a pump 176, which can draw purified water outof tank 170. It will be understood by persons having skill in the artthat conduit 155 used between tank 170 and pump 176 can be of anydesirable type, including those previously described, as well as conduitmade of flexible materials, such as a hose, without departing from thenovel scope of the present invention. Pump 176 can be of any type thatcan draw purified water and provide the water at a desirable pressure tothe remainder of the device of the present invention. In a preferredembodiment, a sensor 156 is provided in association with pump 176 suchthat pump 176 can be monitored by the control system, and the pumpoperation can be displayed, if desired, on display unit 140. Purifiedwater, is pumped, by pump 176, to mix tanks 180, as shown in FIG. 16.

[0102] Referring now to FIG. 16, the conduit 155 bringing purified wateris provided with a sensor 156, connected to control system 130, whichprovides information to the operator of the system 130, with respect tothe availability of purified water, downstream from the waterpurification system 150. Conduit 155 is then split such that purifiedwater can be directed to at least two mix agitator tanks 180 a and 180b. While mix agitator tanks 180 can be of any desirable shape andmaterial, it will be understood, that in a preferred embodiment, eachmix agitator tank 180 is made of a material that will not effect or beaffected by the purified water or any chemicals therein, and aretypically at least 15 gallons in size. Mix agitator tanks 180 a and 180b are provided with water entry valves 182 a and 182 b respectively,each valve being attached to a sensor and actuator 156 allowing thecontrol system 130 to maintain communication, cause purified water to beadded to tanks 180 a and 180 b and to allow for the shut off of water tothe tanks, in a manner such as previously discussed and which is know topersons having skill in the art. It will be seen later in FIG. 17 and asthe description proceeds that tanks 180 are used in with respect to theaddition of the graft chemicals, colorization elements and electrolyticelements described herein.

[0103] Agitation devices 184 are provided in each tank 180, and, in apreferred embodiment, comprise an electronically activated motor havingan elongated shaft 185 a and mixing element 185 b. It will be understoodby persons having skill in the art, that agitation devices 184 can takeany form which will cause the desired agitation of chemicals and wateras required by the processes of the present invention. Agitation devices184 are further attached to sensor and activation devices, as used withother elements of the present invention, described herein.

[0104] As shown in FIG. 16, a preferred embodiment of the presentinvention includes drainage from tanks 180 through a hopper-like device180 d, such that agitated fluids are withdrawn from below the tanks 180.It will be noted that tanks 180, in a preferred embodiment, are eachplaced onto an electronic scale 186, which provides a unique means tomeasure the contents of tanks 180. Each scale is provided with a displaydevice 186 a and a connection between the display device 186 a and thecontrol system. By addition of known amounts of liquids and chemicals(in various states of matter) having known specific gravities andvolumetric information, the addition of appropriate and desirableamounts of chemicals and water can be measured in accordance with theweight of the combination.

[0105] Appropriate valves, sensors and a pump are included to aid inwithdrawing fluids and pumping them further along the path of the deviceof the present invention as will be described below.

[0106] Referring now to FIG. 17, the addition of graft chemicals andother desirable elements are shown, in a preferred embodiment. It willbe understood that the addition of chemicals is made into tanks 180, ina manner similar to that described with respect to the addition ofpurified water into those same agitator tanks 180. As can be seen a tank188 containing a graft chemical is shown. It will be understood bypersons having skill in the art that any type of tank, having desiredproperties, such as the ability to contain the grafting chemicalswithout being affected thereby, without departing from the novel scopeof the present invention. A pickup tube 189, a conduit 155 and a pump190 are provided as shown, all operating in manners similar to thosepreviously described with respect to the water purification systemdescribed above. It will be understood by persons having skill in theart that modifications to these devices, in any manner that will allow agrafting chemical to be provided to the device of the present invention,can be made without departing from the novel scope of the presentinvention.

[0107] Monitoring systems providing the status of pump 190, conduit 155and the grafting chemicals are provided, allowing monitoring at thecontrol system 130 in such a manner as those previously described. WhileFIG. 17 shows a single graft chemical tank 188 and system, it will beunderstood, in light of the disclosure of the present invention, that aredundant graft chemical tank (or more than one) and systems may beprovided within the scope of the present invention.

[0108] Once again, conduit 155 can be divided, as shown in FIG. 17, sothat redundancies in chemical addition can be made. Graft chemical isadded to conduit 155 such that it is subsequently deposited into one ormore agitator tank 180. A valve 182 provides access of the graftchemical to the one or more agitator tank 180. Intermediate to agitatortank 180, as shown in FIG. 17, dispensing cylinder 191 a is provided. Ina preferred embodiment, a redundant dispensing cylinder 191 b is alsoprovided. It will be seen that dispensing cylinders 191 are providedwith means to cause chemicals, contained therein, to be dispensed intoagitator tank 180 through conduit 155. A full switch 192 and an emptyswitch 194 are provided, each having sensor means to allow the reportingof the condition of the dispensing cylinder 191 (either full or empty)are provided.

[0109] It will be understood that when the dispensing cylinder 191 isfull, the full switch 192 will be activated, and as the dispenserempties, the empty switch 194 will be activated. The inclusion ofredundancies in the present invention, allows the control system 130 toselect a second dispensing cylinder having chemicals when it receivesnotice, from sensors 156, that a first dispensing cylinder is empty.Further, the use of three dispensing cylinders allows the inclusion ofdifferent chemicals to be added in different quantities to be added toagitator tank 180.

[0110] Referring now to FIG. 18, a final dispensing cylinder 198,linking the mixed chemicals coming from agitator tank 180 to the roboticsprayer 44, is shown. A conduit 155 provides product from agitator tanks180, including purified water, graft chemical, color solutions andelectrolytes as explained in detail above. It will be seen that theactuation of the dispensing cylinder 198 can be electronicallycontrolled using the following equipment: an encoder 197, a linearactuator 193, a ball screw 195 and a piston 198 e in a manner well knownin the art (and described in more detail below).

[0111] A linear motor controller 196 is actuated through a preprogrammedstep, or by an added instruction given either by a local controller or acontroller remotely located and using the Internet or othercommunications means. Encoder 197 is further connected to control system130 so that control system 130 can control the operation of the linearactuator and subsequently the ball screw 195 and the degree to whichpiston 198 e is depressed, releasing the mixed fluids (from agitatortank 180) to a conduit linked to a receptive portal in sprayer 44. Itwill be understood by persons having skill in the art, that informationreceived at control system 130, from all of the sensors and reportingstations previously described, will be assessed and modifications to thechemical mix made, as needed, prior to such chemicals being directed tothe sprayer 44.

[0112] It will be seen that the addition of the desired chemical mixfrom agitator tank 180 is sent along a final conduit 155 to the roboticsprayer 44, propellant is added to sprayer 44, in a manner discussed indetail above, and thereafter the chemical mix is propelled onto the itemto be painted, in a manner previously described.

[0113] Referring now to FIG. 19, use of redundant systems in the paintpart process is explained. The steps of the process include providingthe redundant systems shown in the figures, and for example, withrespect to the chemical supply and propellant systems, 1) drawing fromthe selected dispensers and propellant, 2) deciding if the selecteddispenser is below a threshold amount, 3) if the propellant is low,switching to the redundant tank, 4) if mix tank sensor reporting lowvolume, switching to redundant tank, 5) finish painting the part whichwas to be painted, as desired. It will be understood by persons havingskill in the art that other methods, and/or steps to the disclosedmethod, of providing chemicals and propellant can be utilized withoutdeparting from the novel scope of the present invention.

[0114] Referring now to FIG. 20, the manner of making the solution to beapplied is shown. The method includes the steps of: 1) providingpredetermined quantity and quality of water, 2) providing a desirableamount of color solution, electrolyte material and graft material and 3)mixing the water and chemicals together. It will be understood bypersons having skill in the art that FIG. 20 represents a simplifiedflow chart of a preferred method and that the details as discussedherein provide other explanations of the present invention. Further, itwill be understood that other methods of providing purified water andchemicals can be utilized without departing from the novel scope of thepresent invention. Further, with respect to the process aspects of thepresent invention, it will be understood that different chemicals,different degrees of purity of water, different propellants (and/or noadded propellants if desired) and different degrees of redundancies maybe used without departing from the novel scope of the present invention.

[0115] Referring to FIG. 21, a schematic diagram of another preferredembodiment of the present invention is shown. It will be understood thatin the interest of clarity, like numbers are used with respect to FIG.21 as are used in the previous figures. Further, as in previousembodiments, it will be seen that redundancies are provided for a numberof the systems described. It will be understood that the inclusion ofredundancies for all elements of the present invention or fewerredundancies than those shown can be employed without departing from thenovel scope of the present invention.

[0116] In the present embodiment, a clean water supply 104, preferablymade by physically and/or chemically filtering municipal water, is fedto one or both reverse osmosis treatment units 162 a and 162 b, toprovide a level of purity of water as previously described. Water ofdesired purity is then provided to one or both mixing tanks 106 a and106 b. Simultaneously, electrolytes from electrolyte tanks 110 a and 110b and coloring chemicals form color tanks 108 a and 108 b are providedto mixing tanks 106 a and 106 b. Grafting chemicals, as described above,from graft chemical tanks 188 a and 188 b are provided, using anintermediate dispensing units 116 a and 116 b to provided a desiredmeasured quantity, to mixing tanks 106 a and 106 b. Further, a charge ofnitrogen, from nitrogen tank 220 via regulator 222 a (or from nitrogentank 220 b via regulator 222 b) is provided to mixing tanks 106 a and106 b to assist in the mixing process and to cause the pressurization ofthe mixed water, electrolytes, color and grafting chemicals so as topropel the mixture towards burner 44.

[0117] Control means 134 a and 134 b sense whether or not nitrogen flowsfrom tanks 220 a and 220 b, and communicates this result to the controlsystem.

[0118] Burner 44, described in greater detail above, is provided with agas inlet 44 a and a fluid supply inlet 44 b, as well as a muzzle 44 cthrough which a flame may emerge. It will be understood, from theprevious description, that a means of igniting burner 44 is provided, ina manner well known in the art. Fluid is provided to burner 44, frommixing tanks 106 a and 106 b into fluid supply inlet 44 b and propellantgas, in the present embodiment nitrogen, is provided to gas inlet 44 a.When burner 44 is engaged, fluid is propelled through burner 44 by thenitrogen gas, while a controlled flame is used to prepare the object tobe treated to accept paint.

[0119] It will be understood, by persons having skill in the art thatthe foregoing explanation of the process of the present invention is onepreferred embodiment and that many modifications, as described in detailabove, can be made without departing from the novel scope of the presentinvention.

[0120] Referring now to FIGS. 22, 23a and 23 b, a chart showing testsconducted on exemplary plaques, and graphs of test data, are shown. Aswill be understood by persons having skill in the art the tests wereperformed in order to simulate the actual method of the presentinvention and the devices, of the present invention, used to practicethe method. It will be understood by persons having skill in the artthat various modifications to the tests could be made without departingfrom the novel scope of the present invention and that the tests areshown to demonstrate the efficacy of the device and method and are notmeant as limitations to the invention or its disclosure. Persons havingskill in the art will understand the methods, units of measure andresults shown in the context of devices and methods used and testsconducted.

[0121] The tests were performed as follows. A robot program wasestablished to treat plaques of plastic material of approximately 4″ by6″, in a consistent repeatable manner. The test provided for theplacement of the plaque on an adjustable height apparatus, variablebetween 1″ and 3″ and placing that apparatus in a fixed position on atable. Two standard robot programs were established, the first at a 4″nominal distance from the burner face to the table surface and thesecond at 6″ nominal distance from the burner face to the table surface.It will be seen that with these two configurations, any distance from 1″to 6″ can be accommodated by the test jig.

[0122] The surface velocity readings, that is the velocity of theair/gas mixture on the surface of the plaque, were measured using avane-type anemometer and centering the bulb of the anemometer exactlybelow the burner head face, whilst in a fixed position above the plaquesurface. It will be understood that by following this method of velocitymeasurement, all readings will be comparable and consistent.

[0123] Throughout the test the air volumes were changed manually fromwithin the flame treating system, and using the flow meter containedtherein, displays of the volumetric control were made on the operatorpanel. The recorded results, as shown on the test data report, were thengraphed and are shown on the chart of FIG. 22. The tests were conductedon Feb. 27, 2002.

[0124] Tests shown as parts 2, parts 3 and parts 4 on the test datareport were then undertaken to establish the treatment level gained inunits of dynes.

[0125] A plaque was placed on the bench at the required distance, forexample 2, 3 or 4 inches. The flame was adjusted to the requiredvolumetric output of air and then the gas was trimmed manually withinthe gas control cabinet, to give the required oxygen content asindicated by the oxygen analyzer. In the tests, a robotic arm, asdescribed in greater detail above was used. The robotic arm traversespeed was at all times maintained as a constant. The robotic armtraversed the flame across the plaque and returned to its home position.

[0126] Surface energy levels were measured using surface tension inksapplied with the use of cotton buds and in accordance with the ANSIstandard. The initial surface energy of the material is shown in thereport as being less than 32 Dynes. Surface energy data was thentransposed onto the graph so that the operational process window can bedrawn. A concluding surface energy level of greater than 50 dynes hasbeen found to be desirable and can be achieved using the method of thepresent invention.

[0127] Referring to FIGS. 23a and 23 b, process windows are shown. Itwill be understood by persons having skill in the art that the processwindow charts, and specifically those portions of the charts highlightedwith hatched marks, will be useful in the field to allow for theaccurate programming of the robotic arm. Data from tests, shown in FIG.22, is placed on the process charts of FIGS. 23a and 23 b, plotted sothat air volume per minute versus surface velocity is graphed. In theillustrative embodiment, data points for an oxygen content of 0.2% areshown in one graph (FIG. 23a) and data points for an oxygen content of1.0% are shown in another graph (FIG. 23b). It will be understood thatpersons skilled in the art may make modifications to the tests and theparameters used in the tests, without departing from the novel scope ofthe present invention.

[0128] The points, shown in FIGS. 23a and 23 b, are plotted, and in theoperation of the method of the present invention, once a person havingskill in the art develops the process window for the material andconditions present and desired, then the programmer can program therobotic arm so that, for a given part-to-be-treated, having a particularshape, a program can be developed so that when the treatment, of thepresent invention, is progressing the conditions of the test are alwayswithin the parameters shown in the process window. The highlighted areasof the graphs of FIGS. 23a and 23 b provide an area though which testparameters will lead to a surface energy of greater than or equal to 50dynes and thereby provide desirable results.

[0129] Conclusions with respect to parts 2, 3 and 4 of the test, asdemonstrated by the process windows, include that at 2″ distance thetreatment level drops off as the volume and velocity gets bigger; theoxygen content plays less of a role in achieving treatment; measurementsof greater than 50 dynes can be achieved at low volumes and velocities;and material surface is inconsistent after treatment due to heatblushing of material additives.

[0130] As will be noted, the treatment window grows substantially as theoxygen content is reduced. It was apparent from the tests, and will beapparent to persons having skill in the art, that with increased oxygencontent the treatment level gets smaller. Persons having skill in theart will understand that the lower the oxygen, with the use of thematerial tested, the larger the process window. The dynamics of theburner, for example the flame shape, has a big impact on the processwindow. It will be understood by persons having ordinary skill in theart, that the “treatment curve” will be predictable when using theburner of the present tests together with the features described.

[0131] It will be understood, from a study of the data shown, that anoptimum treatment, will be achieved using the robotic arm at between 2″to 3″ distance, from burner face to the surface of the material, usingoxygen content of 0.20% per air flow output of approximately 450 L/minat a velocity of approximately 1100 ft/min. Use of these parameters,with a device and method as described and illustrated, should permit theuser to have result in a treatment level of between 54 and 56 dynes. Asnoted above, these results represent an exemplification of a method ofthe present invention using a device of the present invention. It willbe understood that many modifications to the devices and methods may bemade, resulting in similar or different results, without departing fromthe novel scope of the present invention.

[0132] From the foregoing, it will also be observed that numerousmodifications and variations can be effectuated without departing fromthe true spirit and scope of the novel concepts of the presentinvention. It is to be understood that no limitation with respect to thespecific embodiments illustrated is intended or should be inferred. Thedisclosure is intended to cover by the appended claims all suchmodifications as fall within the scope of the claims when the claims areproperly interpreted.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for flame treating or manufacturing aproduct, comprising the steps of: detachably coupling a flame jetforming ring to a body portion of a gas burner assembly, said flame jetforming ring generally fully enclosing a chamber that is at leastpartially defined within said body portion, said gas burner assemblyincluding an air/gas inlet that communicates with said chamber, saidflame jet forming ring including at least one port defined therein thatcommunicates with said chamber; mounting said gas burner assembly on anend of arm tool; feeding an air/gas mixture into said chamber throughsaid air/gas inlet to cause said air/gas mixture to be generally evenlydistributed throughout said chamber and said at least one port, and tocause substantially all of said air/gas mixture to flow from saidair/gas inlet to ambient atmosphere through said chamber and said atleast one port; igniting said air/gas mixture to create a generallyenclosed flame that projects from said gas burner assembly; moving saidgas burner assembly with respect to a substrate while at least a portionof said generally enclosed flame is in direct contact with thesubstrate, said flame jet forming ring being detachable from said bodyportion without removing said gas burner assembly from said end of armtool.
 2. The method of claim 1 wherein said at least one port isgenerally parallel with respect to said longitudinal axis of said bodyportion.
 3. The method of claim 1 wherein said at least one port isgenerally circular in shape.
 4. The method of claim 1 wherein said atleast one port is generally concentric with said longitudinal axis ofsaid body portion.
 5. The method of claim 1 wherein said at least oneport comprises two or more individual flame jet ports each of whichcommunicates with said chamber when said flame jet forming ring isattached to said body portion.
 6. The method of claim 1 wherein said gasburner assembly further comprises a discharge tube having an inlet andan outlet, said outlet being generally peripherally surrounded by saidat least one port.
 7. The method of claim 6 wherein said discharge tubeis generally concentric with a longitudinal axis of said body portion.8. The method of claim 6 wherein said discharge tube is generallyparallel to a longitudinal axis of said body portion.
 9. The method ofclaim 6 further comprising the step of projecting an inert gas from theoutlet of said discharge tube at various velocities as desired to causethe geometry of said generally enclosed flame to be changed inproportion to the velocity of the inert gas that is projected from saiddischarge tube.
 10. The method of claim 6 further comprising the step ofspraying a mixture from the outlet of said discharge tube as desiredwhile said generally enclosed flame is projected from said gas burnerassembly.
 11. The method of claim 10 wherein said mixture comprises apowder, and wherein said method further comprises the step of propellinga slurry towards the surface of said substrate while spraying saidpowder from said discharge tube and while projecting said generallyenclosed flame from said at least one flame jet.
 12. The method of claim11 wherein said slurry comprises a chopped fiberglass slurry.
 13. Themethod of claim 11 wherein said powder comprises a material selectedfrom a group consisting of: a polyester resin and/or an epoxy resin. 14.The method of claim 10 wherein said mixture comprises a liquid mixturethat includes a quantity of a coupling agent at least a portion of whichis chemically bonded onto an oxidized surface of a product that iscreated by flame treating at least a portion of a surface of theproduct.
 15. The method of claim 14 wherein said liquid mixture furtherincludes a quantity of a colorizing agent that causes a treated surfaceof the product to be a different color after it has been flame treatedand sprayed with said coupling agent and said colorizing agent.
 16. Themethod of claim 14 wherein said liquid mixture further includes aquantity of electrolytes to facilitate electrostatic painting of atreated surface of the product after it has been flame treated andsprayed with said coupling agent and said electrolytes.
 17. The methodof claim 14 wherein said coupling agent comprises a multi-functionalorganic compound.
 18. The method of claim 17 wherein saidmulti-functional organic compound comprises polyethyline imine.
 19. Themethod of claim 1 wherein gas burner assembly further comprises a ringmember for detachably coupling said flame jet forming ring to said bodyportion.
 20. The method of claim 19 wherein both of said ring member andsaid body portion include threads that correspond to each other to allowsaid ring member to couple said flame jet forming ring onto said bodyportion.
 21. The method of claim 1 wherein said body portion and saidflame jet forming ring are formed from a lightweight material to reducethe weight of said gas burner assembly and thereby minimize deflectionof the end of arm tool when said gas burner assembly is mounted thereon.22. A system for flame treating or manufacturing a product, comprisingin combination: a gas burner assembly that includes a body portionhaving a chamber at least partially defined therein, an air/gas inletthat communicates with said chamber, and an open end that communicateswith said chamber; a flame jet forming ring that is detachably coupledto said body portion to generally fully enclose said chamber, said flamejet forming ring including at least one port defined therein thatcommunicates with said chamber and is disposed in a predeterminedrelationship with respect to a longitudinal axis of said body portion;means for mounting said gas burner assembly on an end of arm tool; meansfor feeding an air/gas mixture into said chamber through said air/gasinlet to cause said air/gas mixture to be generally evenly distributedthroughout said chamber and said at least one port, and to causesubstantially all of said air/gas mixture to flow from said air/gasinlet to ambient atmosphere through said chamber and said at least oneport; means for igniting said air/gas mixture to create a generallyenclosed flame that projects from said gas burner assembly; means formoving said gas burner assembly with respect to a substrate while atleast a portion of said generally enclosed flame is in direct contactwith the substrate, said flame jet forming ring being detachable fromsaid body portion without removing said gas burner assembly from saidend of arm tool.
 23. The system of claim 22 wherein said at least oneport is generally parallel with respect to said longitudinal axis ofsaid body portion.
 24. The system of claim 22 wherein said at least oneport is generally circular in shape.
 25. The system of claim 22 whereinsaid at least one port is generally concentric with said longitudinalaxis of said body portion.
 26. The system of claim 22 wherein said atleast one port comprises two or more individual flame jet ports each ofwhich communicates with said chamber when said flame jet forming ring isattached to said body portion.
 27. The system of claim 22 wherein saidgas burner assembly further comprises a discharge tube having an inletand an outlet, said outlet being generally peripherally surrounded bysaid at least one port.
 28. The system of claim 27 wherein saiddischarge tube is generally concentric with a longitudinal axis of saidbody portion.
 29. The system of claim 27 wherein said discharge tube isgenerally parallel to a longitudinal axis of said body portion.
 30. Thesystem of claim 27 further comprising the means for projecting an inertgas from the outlet of said discharge tube at various velocities asdesired to cause the geometry of said generally enclosed flame to bechanged in proportion to the velocity of the inert gas that is projectedfrom said discharge tube.
 31. The system of claim 27 further comprisingmeans for spraying a mixture from the outlet of said discharge tube asdesired while projecting said generally enclosed flame from said gasburner assembly.
 32. The system of claim 31 wherein said mixturecomprises a powder, and wherein said system further comprises means forpropelling a slurry towards a surface of said substrate while sprayingsaid powder from said discharge tube and while projecting said generallyenclosed flame from said at least one flame jet.
 33. The system of claim32 wherein said slurry comprises a chopped fiberglass slurry.
 34. Thesystem of claim 32 wherein said powder comprises a material selectedfrom a group consisting of: a polyester resin and/or an epoxy resin. 35.The system of claim 31 wherein said mixture comprises a liquid mixture,and wherein said system further includes means for mixing a quantity ofa coupling agent with said liquid mixture, at least a portion of saidcoupling agent being chemically bonded onto an oxidized surface of aproduct that is created by flame treating at least a portion of asurface of the product.
 36. The system of claim 35 further comprisingmeans for mixing a quantity of a colorizing agent with said liquidmixture, at least a portion of said colorizing agent causing a treatedsurface of the product to be a different color after it has been flametreated and sprayed with said coupling agent and said colorizing agent.37. The system of claim 35 further comprising means for mixing aquantity of electrolytes with said liquid mixture, said electrolytesfacilitating electrostatic painting of a treated surface of the productafter it has been flame treated and sprayed with said coupling agent andsaid electrolytes.
 38. The system of claim 35 wherein said couplingagent comprises a multi-functional organic compound.
 39. The system ofclaim 38 wherein said multi-functional organic compound comprisespolyethyline imine.
 40. The system of claim 22 wherein gas burnerassembly further comprises a ring member for detachably coupling saidflame jet forming ring to said body portion.
 41. The system of claim 40wherein both of said ring member and said body portion include threadsthat correspond to each other to allow said ring member to couple saidflame jet forming ring onto said body portion.
 42. The system of claim22 wherein said body portion and said flame jet forming ring are formedfrom a lightweight material to reduce the weight of said gas burnerassembly and thereby minimize deflection of the end of arm tool whensaid gas burner assembly is mounted thereon.